Human Rights Commission

27 August 2007

Outstanding contributions to race relations recognised

Eleven organisations are to receive awards from the Human Rights Commission recognising their outstanding contribution to positive race relations in New Zealand. The awards will be presented at the New Zealand Diversity Forum in Auckland tomorrow.

The 11 participants of the New Zealand Diversity Action Programme (NZDAP) have been chosen from over 200 participating organisations for their outstanding contribution to diversity over the past year.

The (NZDAP) connects and promotes organisations that want to make a positive contribution to cultural diversity and race relations in their community. The Programme is facilitated by the Race Relations Commissioner and the Human Rights Commission.

The 11 organisations are:

Fairfax: Newspapers in Education
(NiE) have produced a range of newspapers for schools that promote knowledge, discussion and understanding of diversity in New Zealand. Included this year were newspapers on the Treaty of Waitangi for Waitangi Day, migrants and refugees (as a resource for World Refugee Day), cultural diversity in dance, Kai, Hangi, Matariki and Nga Kai o te Moana during their special Maori focus month in June leading up to Maori Language Week, plus additional resources on te reo Maori and tikanga Maori. Heavenly Melting Pot, due out in November, will look at different faiths and beliefs in New Zealand.

NZ Federation of Ethnic Councils
The Federation and its 16 constituent Ethnic Councils undertake a wide range of activities and projects, of which the annual multi-ethnic festivals organised throughout New Zealand in conjunction with Race Relations Day in March, are the most visible. Local Ethnic Councils also provide a range of membership services and work with local government and communities to support migrant and refugee settlement. Nationally, the Federation has established special councils to represent women and youth, sponsored research on migrants, promoted volunteering, and provided a national voice for its constituent groups.

Christchurch City Council
Christchurch City Council undertakes a wide range of projects and programmes that contribute to cultural diversity. Major projects this year have included the "diversity season" of events leading up to Race Relations Day in March, the Culture Galore festival, the Ethnic Football festival, the Pacific Pathways World Heritage Week in June telling the stories of the diverse peoples who have made Christchurch their home, an Outward Bound multi-ethnic course for young people, activities for Matariki and Maori Language Week at Christchurch City Libraries, and Around the World Workshops at Christchurch Art Gallery. The Council also supports the Intercultural Assembly and a range of other community initiatives for cultural diversity and community development.

Outward Bound Trust of New Zealand
The Outward Bound Trust of NZ promotes intercultural understanding and community leadership through outdoor educational courses. In February, Outward Bound ran their fourth annual three-week Southern Cross course for a multi-ethnic group of young Aucklanders in association with the Human Rights Commission. The Southern Cross course includes a mix of Maori, Pacific, Asian, Pakeha and other participants learning about each other's cultures and discussing issues of diversity in New Zealand. The success of the Auckland course has enabled Outward Bound to develop a sister Southern Cross course for Christchurch. They have also, in partnership with Ngai Tahu, developed Aoraki Bound, a specially tailored three week course within a Ngai Tahu cultural context. Four Aoraki Bound courses have been organised for 2007.

The Victoria University Religious Studies Programme
The Programme produced a directory of faith and interfaith groups to make them more accessible to the public, the media and each other. They have co-hosted the now well-established annual interfaith forums at the New Zealand Diversity Forum. Last year's forum led to the development of the Statement on Religious Diversity by Religious Studies Professor Paul Morris, assisted by an advisory group of faith community and human rights representatives. The statement has undergone widespread public consultation and provides a framework for ongoing public discussion on religious diversity.

NZ Journalists' Training Orgranisation (JTO)
Under the leadership of Executive Director Jim Tucker, the JTO has made a major effort over the past two years to address issues of diversity in the media. This has included the development of a diversity section on the JTO website, surveys of diversity in the media, a national forum on reporting diversity, and a national tour of journalism schools by international media and diversity expert Professor Arlene Morgan. The JTO has also developed new unit standards on bicultural reporting and diversity reporting. At this year's Diversity Forum the JTO launches Pou Korero: A Journalist's Guide to Maori and Current Affairs, by veteran journalist Carol Archie.

The NZ Baha'i Community
The NZ Baha'i Community has been an active supporter of Race Relations Day since its inception, and each year organises a national speech contest for secondary schools on a race relations topic. The contest has grown each year, and now attracts entries from school regions throughout New Zealand in regional contests. The finals are held in conjunction with a race relations youth forum in Auckland in March. Finalists' speeches are broadcast on Radio New Zealand. An active supporter of interfaith activities, the Community was represented on the
Advisory Group for the development of the Statement on Religious Diversity.

RMS Refugee Resettlement
RMS Refugee Resettlement is New Zealand's national refugee resettlement agency. Since 1976 it has helped more than 40,000 refugees settle in New Zealand, providing a wide range of support services delivered by its professional social workers, cross-cultural workers and trained community volunteers. As part of its public education programme the agency organises activities for World Refugee Day in June, which in 2007 attracted the highest ever level of participation by central and local government and communities throughout New Zealand. RMS Refugee Resettlement is committed to helping former refugees realise their full potential and find a sense of welcome and belonging within Aotearoa, New Zealand.

Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Maori: Maori Language Commission
The Commission was established by the Maori Language Act in August 1987 and this year celebrates its twentieth anniversary. In that time, there has been a significant turnaround in the status of te reo Maori, as demonstrated by the recently released Te Puni Kokiri survey on the health of the Maori language. As part of its wide-ranging work, Te Taura Whiri has promoted wider public awareness and support through activities surrounding the festival of Matariki in June, Maori Language Week in July, and the Maori Language Week awards in September. Public support for these events has grown dramatically over recent years. Te Taura Whiri also administers the Ma Te Reo fund, which distributes $1.8 million per annum to support Maori community-based language activities, and will shortly publish Te Matapuna, the first comprehensive mono-lingual dictionary of the Maori language.

The Victoria University Centre for Applied Cross-cultural Research
The Centre for Applied Cross-cultural Research has for the past three years contributed an overview of diversity research for the annual Race Relations Report. They have established a national network of leading researchers in diversity and cross-cultural issues, and a postgraduate student network, in support of the NZ Diversity Action Programme's vision of a national diversity research centre. They host a programme of international visitors and organise the annual research forum as part of the New Zealand Diversity Forum. They maintain a website of information about diversity research and produce a regular newsletter of research and related information to academics, government and community groups.

Wairua Consulting
Wairua Consulting is a New Zealand based consultancy, research and training company that enables effective and strategic use of new technologies across business, government and civil society. Director Ruth de Souza operates the Aotearoa Ethnic Network which provides daily news and a lively discussion forum on ethnic community issues. She also edits an on-line publication, the AEN Journal, which provides more in-depth discussion of current issues affecting ethnic communities. Recent issues of the Journal have focused on the arts and on ICT. The current issue deals with faith and interfaith issues. The AEN Journal is available free on the internet. Wairua Consulting actively promotes participation in the New Zealand Diversity Action Programme.

The awards are being presented as part of the Plenary Forum of the NZDF at the Atrium Events Centre, Auckland Museum.

Awards will be presented at the following times:

9.50am: NZ Journalists Training Organisation; Maori Language Commission; RMS Refugee Resettlement; New Zealand Federation of Ethnic Councils.

2.25pm: Christchurch City Council; Victoria University of Wellington: Centre for Applied Cross-Cultural Research; Fairfax NZ Ltd: Newspapers in Education; Outward Bound Trust of New Zealand.

4.05pm: Victoria University of Wellington: Religious Studies Programme;
NZ Baha'i Community; Wairua Consulting Ltd.

ENDS

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